work on games. “During elementary school, I’d
sketch imaginary level maps that my teacher
savagely ripped apart because they apparently
weren’t part of the lesson,” he jokes. “And I
started writing letters to computer magazines,
asking how to make games. I quickly got the hint
programming was fundamental to that, but I’d
no clear concept [of] what programming was!
Eventually, I found tools like ‘Klik and Play’, which
allowed me to start experimenting with sprites
and logic.”
Actual games then followed, Pesaresi sharing
them with like-minded classmates who’d
constantly challenge each other to do even
better. Later, he studied programming, making
simple games like Food Maniacs in C++ and
SDL. These helped Pesaresi secure a role at
Impressionware during his early twenties. “My
job was to code J2ME games, and I even got
the chance to work on a Nintendo DS devkit,”
he recalls, adding that he rapidly learned from
experienced programmers that “programming
on the battlefield was way better than studying
it in books.”
GOING SOLO
After some years, the itch to work on his own
games returned. Flash was popular at the time,
and so Pesaresi made Ghosts Stole My Puppy.
This gentle side-scrolling
platformer had you take
on the role of a low-rent
ghostbuster, leaping
about a massive house,
using a vacuum cleaner
to suck up pet-stealing spooks. Released in
2010, under the Neutronized banner, its pixel
art and carefully considered, platform-specific
control method (mouse to aim/suck; keys to
move) hinted at what was to come.
More importantly, it got Neutronized noticed,
with a licence sold to gaming portal, Ninja Kiwi.
“After this first success, I became self-employed,
determined to make a living from my games,
and be competitive – in terms of quality and
output – with what the likes of Nitrome was
doing,” says Pesaresi. Two years later, though,
a major change found Neutronized’s attention
abruptly shift to mobile. “That happened
because I was contacted by publisher FDG
Entertainment, who wanted to convert my
browser game Roar Rampage to mobile.” It was
a timely development: Pesaresi had started
to notice the decline in Flash games, and FDG
provided insight into how mobile gaming
worked. “I learned about App Store reviews, the
need to create promotional art in case Apple
wanted to feature a game, and key information
about ratings and rankings,” he explains.
The move to mobile also aligned with a desire
to ramp up the quality level of Neutronized
games: Pesaresi decided they must have “more
story, more levels,
and more secrets.”
This dovetailed with
his childhood love for
arcade and console hits.
The ultimate aim was to
“come up with a game that could pass for one
on classic consoles”, harking back to a creative
era primarily driven by “new, original games,
rather than sequels and remakes.”
From a visual standpoint, such influences
are clear, given that all Neutronized games
use pixel art. “Most games I remember
playing when younger used pixel art,”
says Pesaresi. “It delivers a unique
level of precision I love – the way I can
control all the pixels on the screen.”
But there was never any interest in
cloning an existing property – any
‘tributes’ had to build on gaming’s
history. “Keeping old classics as
reference is a good way to pay
respect and ensure their spirit lives
on,” he adds. But innovation is“I’d sketch imaginary level
maps that my teacher
savagely ripped apart”Neutronized: the one-man indie studio at tenInterface
wfmag.cc \ 19 Mini-Pesaresii on his home PC, where
he developed a thirst for games. Pretty
soon, he was making his own. Neutronized founder
Gionathan Pesaresi
in 2020.